While all of us are feeling the frustrations of our parking situation, construction of the solar panels are expected to be completely installed in the Sahuaro High School parking lots by the end of September, so don’t be alarmed! The student and two teacher parking lots will be completed by the Fall.  As construction continues, the quick progress has allowed for more parking space to be opened weekly. Parking for students is available in the student parking lot and church parking lot.

The solar panel project is being run by CORE Construction. The construction began a week after school ended after the 2017-2018 school year. After speaking to one of the friendly construction workers at the site, they said, “This is the second half of construction and it’s going by pretty quickly.” CORE Construction is the fourth largest school builder in the country and has installed over 63 million kilowatts for 150+ solar panel sites.

Tucson Unified School District has been actively installing solar panels at schools all across Tucson  for the past 5 years. In 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded TUSD’s Chief Operation Officer, Stuart Duncan, with the “2015 Green Power Leadership Award” for the category of “Green Power Partner of the Year”. The first solar panels were installed at Marshall Elementary. Many students from Sahuaro attended that elementary school including myself. TUSD has finished 56 solar panel sites with more on the way.

Solar energy has become an increasingly popular energy source due to its eco-efficient, money-saving, and energy-reliable factors. The solar panels are expected to provide shade and cover from the blazing Arizona heat while making Sahuaro a more earth-friendly environment.

The administration is very grateful and impressed with the parents’ and students’ patience and cooperation with the ongoing drop-off, parking, and pick-up situation. Once the construction is finished, the Sahuaro Cougars will have a great 2018-2019 eco-efficient school year!